Election more than just a democratic process

I Wayan Juniartha , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Tue, 07/08/2008 10:21 AM | Bali

The island's first gubernatorial direct election is more than just simply a democratic political process. Indeed, it has been interpreted as different things by different groups of Balinese.

For the Pasek, arguably the largest clan-based organization in Bali, the election is the perfect opportunity to settle some old scores with the influential noble houses of Bali.

The old scores are in fact several centuries old. Prior to the Majapahit's military expedition in 1343, which placed the island as a vassal to the East Java's empire, members of the Pasek clan were the proud rulers of the island's semi-autonomous villages and the high ranking officials at the king's court.

In short, the Pasek clan was a respected and very influential group in pre-Majapahit's Bali.

The military expedition put an end to that. Majapahit's legendary prime minister Gajah Mada, who led the expedition, awarded his commanders by giving them rights to rule different regions in Bali. He then invited a son of a Brahmin from Kediri, East Java, and enthroned him as the first among the equals, the ruler of Bali.

Those two political moves lead to the birth of the island's caste system and several royal houses, both of which retain their influence today.

In post-independence Bali, the office of the governor always fell to either a member of the Brahmin clan or a member of the Ksatriya clan. The first referred to the clan founded in the 15th century by the influential Hindu sage of Siwa-Siddhanta sect, Danghyang Nirartha. The second referred to the royal families founded by the Majapahit's warlords and implanted kings.

Cokorda Budi Suryawan, a Golkar Party-backed governor candidate, belongs to the Ksatriya clan, the rich and influential royal house of Ubud in particular. Made Mangku Pastika, the governor candidate endorsed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), belongs to the Pasek clan.

Naturally, the Pasek clan sees in Mangku Pastika its first viable opportunity to regain its former glory as well as to put an end to what the clan called the Ksatriya and Brahmin families' hegemonic grip on Bali's contemporary political and social structure.

"As an organization we should stay neutral (in the election). We shouldn't tell our members which candidate they must choose. Yet, may I remind you all that there is nothing wrong with supporting the member of our clan, who happens to be a candidate," Wayan Wita said during a gathering of Pasek clan early May.

Senior cardiologist and former rector of Udayana University is the chairman of the Mahagotra Pasek Sanak Sapta Rsi, the formal organization of the Pasek clan.

His message might haven been a bit vague, but every single member of the Pasek clan on the island understood it clearly. Since then, the clan has organized a series of regency and district-level meetings to solidify their support for Mangku Pastika.

Early in July, priests of several Pasek temples in Denpasar presented special offerings to the gods and the spirits of their ancestors, asking the divine to bestow victory on Mangku Pastika.

"We are very, very committed to this endeavor. The offering is evidence of our seriousness," a Pasek figure, Pasek Winastra, said.

Cokorda Budi Suryawan responded with equal zeal. His aides traveled the length and breadth of the island, lobbying every existing royal and Brahmin family to lend him their support.

"One of his aides told us that Cokorda Budi Suryawan's victory is essential if we want to sustain our cultural heritage and traditional influence," a member of the royal family of Kesiman said.

For the people of Buleleng, the election is more about regional pride than the manifestation of centuries-old conflict. Mangku Pastika is the first governor candidate from that northern coastal regency. So far, the office of governor has always been occupied by politicians from South Bali.

The Buleleng people, who repeatedly complained that the island's leaders paid too much attention to South Bali while neglecting the poor North and East, believed that a governor from the North would bring about the necessary changes.

"I don't give a damn about his program. Honestly speaking, I don't even like him. But he is a fellow Buleleng native and that's enough. I will certainly vote for him," a Buleleng resident, Nyoman Balok, said.

Balok's sentiment is shared by a large number of people in Buleleng, who want to use the election as a signboard to display their longing for a more balanced and fair development policy.

On the other hand, a large number of the local PDI Perjuangan's executives view the election as an opportunity to take revenge for the party's recent humiliating loss in the Gianyar regential election. In the election, the party's candidate was defeated by Golkar Party's candidate by a slight margin of around 3,000 votes.

"The victory in the gubernatorial election will also provide the party with a firmer ground in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections," a party's executive, Made Arjaya, said.

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